


safety

by Russy



Category: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Dragons, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon Ships It, Creature Jaskier | Dandelion, Dragon Jaskier | Dandelion, Dragons, Family Bonding, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Father-Daughter Relationship, Fluff, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia Has Feelings, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia Loves Jaskier | Dandelion, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia and Jaskier | Dandelion Are Soulmates, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia and Jaskier | Dandelion are Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon's Parents, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia is Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon's Parent, Good Parent Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Good Parent Jaskier | Dandelion, Grooming, Immortal Jaskier | Dandelion, Jaskier | Dandelion Loves Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Jaskier | Dandelion is Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon's Parent, M/M, Non-Human Jaskier | Dandelion, Parent Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Parent Jaskier | Dandelion, Parent-Child Relationship, Protective Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Protective Jaskier | Dandelion, Shapeshifting, Teen Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Young Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:34:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25461754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Russy/pseuds/Russy
Summary: Dragon AU. After the fall of Cintra, Cirilla travels the Continent in search of her parents.
Relationships: Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon & Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon & Jaskier | Dandelion, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion
Comments: 22
Kudos: 260





	safety

**Author's Note:**

> More detailed summary:
> 
> Basically, in this AU dragons are shapeshifters (like in canon) and because Geralt (who is a dragon and a Witcher, both are not mutually exclusive) claimed the Law of Surprise, Cirilla was also born a shapeshifter. Because he and Jaskier are mates, the Law of Surprise also extended to Jaskier, so both of them are her parents and she shares a few physical characteristics with them.
> 
> She still hasn’t met them (until now, that is) and she hadn’t known about being a dragon or the Law of Surprise until Mousesack (well, the Doppler) told her after she left Brokilon Forest. Basically, a lot of things happen like they do in Season 1 of the show except for Jaskier and Geralt’s fight, and instead they have returned to the Blue Mountains after Episode 6, where both of them have been living for centuries, and they believe their Child Surprise to be dead.
> 
> This is my first Witcher fanfic, so both reviews and constructive criticism are definitely welcome.

Ciri huffed under her breath as she advanced on the forest path, pulling he cloak tighter around herself now that the sun was starting to disappear beyond the mountains and the air was getting cooler. 

The pull she felt in her mind had been growing stronger and stronger these past few weeks, like a scratching in her brain that pushed her forwards. She didn’t really understand where she was going, half the time, but she knew she was heading towards something, that it was getting closer. She hoped it was leading her towards her parents – well, they weren’t her birth parents, and she’d never met them, never even knew they existed until that night, a few months ago, when Nilfgaard attacked and her country was destroyed and her grandmother died, telling her to find Geralt of Rivia – her _destiny_ – that he would protect her. She didn’t know why he hadn’t come looking for her yet, though, him or Jaskier – her other father – but her best guess would be that they thought she was dead. Ciri hoped it was true, she realized, because otherwise, if they didn’t want her, she’d have nowhere else to go, she’d be defenseless and alone in the world.

She stopped, whipping around and losing her footing as she felt the tugging in her mind snap. She reached out to brace herself against the trunk of a nearby tree, gasping as the link in her mind buckled for a long moment.

Cirilla took a few deep breaths, slowly straightening out. She didn’t really know what had happened, but she hoped it wasn’t bad. The pulling sensation she’d been feeling for months was suddenly stronger than it had been. She looked around slowly, before hesitantly returning to the forest path.

She continued to walk forwards for a few more minutes, stopping again as she heard the leaves rustle. She squinted her eyes, reaching for her belt and gripping the hilt of the dagger she’d bought after selling her blue velvet cloak. The cloak had been one of her last belongings from Cintra, a gift from her grandmother, yet she realized that something of that high quality could do nothing but attract more unwanted attention, which was the opposite of what she wanted. Even though she hadn’t wanted to part with it, the money she’d gotten for the cloak had been enough to buy the dagger, new clothes and plenty of food that had lasted her for the better part of a week. 

She looked around slowly, getting the distinct feeling that she was being watched, before cautiously going forwards.

The tugging in her mind grew stronger now, as she walked further into the forest. She heard the rustle of bushes again, this time accompanied by the clearer sound of footsteps, and when Ciri turned around, a tall, broad shouldered man with long white hair appeared in the distance.

* * *

Ciri sighed softly as she saw a house appearing in the distance, nestled between pine trees. All of the tension of the past few months seemed to be fading away now that she was with Geralt, leaning slightly against his chest from where he’d perched her on his mare – Roach, he’d said – in front of him. She felt safe, now, she knew he was going to protect her, and part of her still couldn’t believe that she’d actually found him, she was afraid this was a too – happy dream and that she would wake up on the cold forest ground again, alone and scared.

The tugging in her mind had stopped the moment she’d found Geralt, too, and she’d been overcome by a strong feeling of _rightness_ – like she belonged. They’d been looking for her – him and Jaskier – when they’d first heard Nilfgaard was on the rise, but they’d thought she’d died in the attack on Cintra, with Eist and her grandmother. 

_“Cirilla?”_ Geralt had asked, incredulously, looking her up and down to check for injuries after he’d hugged her, his hands still on her shoulders, “I’m sorry,” he’d said, “if I’d know that you were alive I would have looked harder, I wouldn’t have let you go.”

Now, as they were approaching the house, Ciri could see light coming from the windows, which meant that someone – Jaskier, she hoped, was already there. Geralt guided Roach to the right of the house, towards a stable with another grey spotted horse in it. He helped Ciri unmount and, while he was stabling Roach, she reached towards the other horse, who neighed softly and let her pet its snout.

“Come along,” he said, placing a hand between he shoulderblades to lead her out of the barn and towards the house.

* * *

“Jaskier?” Geralt called as he entered their home, his hand still on Ciri’s back.

“Geralt?” came the other man’s voice, puzzled, from somewhere on their right. A moment later, he entered the room, dressed in dark green pants and a white shirt. His eyes were light blue, Ciri noticed, just like cornflowers, and his hair was dark and cropped short above his ears, unlike Geralt’s.

“Was everything –“ he continued, stopping when he noticed her at the other man’s side. Geralt must have sensed her nervousness, because the hand that had been on her back was now reassuringly squeezing her shoulder.

Jaskier’s eyes widened, and he took a half step forwards, frowning slightly. 

“I… _what?_ Geralt? Is this – _is she?”_ he asked, looking up hopefully at the other man, who nodded in return. “Oh, Melitele! And I thought - _we thought_ \- that you’d died! My hatchling!”

He stepped closer to Cirilla, cupping her face with both his hands and looking at her for a long moment before moving his hands to rub her upper arms. “It must have been so horrible,” he continued, “for you to be alone, on your own for so long, when you’re still just a child. Come now, sweetling,” he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, guiding her further into the house, “I’ll run you a bath, and we’ll get started on dinner. I’m sure you must be hungry, hmm?”

She looked back over her shoulder to gauge Geralt’s reaction, but he only gave her a gentle smile, nodding slightly.

“I… yes,” she said, quietly, turning back to Jaskier, “thank you."

* * *

Ciri shuffled out of the room at the end of the hall, _her room_ , now, Jaskier had said. She’d just gotten changed in her spare tunic and a pair of Jaskier’s old blue pants that were too tight for him now but still large for her, though nothing that couldn’t be fixed by tying them up at the waist.

After she and Geralt had reached the house, Jaskier had begun to positively fuss over her, though she didn’t mind, not really; the fact that he – and Geralt, too, although he was slightly less persistent – was concerned about her made her feel warm and gooey inside, because she knew she had someone to protect her now, someone who cared. Ciri had had people who cared about her before, too, she’d been a princess, after all, but these past few months that she’d spent traveling alone certainly made this feel like a novelty experience for her. 

After Jaskier had run her a bath and left her alone to wash, he and Geralt had made dinner. It wasn’t overly fancy, like what Ciri might have eaten in Cintra a year ago, but she didn’t mind, she often hadn’t liked some of the posh dishes served at court anyways. Still, dinner had been good, filling and warm, roast potatoes and onions with spicy meat, and it was better than anything she had eaten in the past few weeks, at the very least.

Afterwards, Jaskier had offered her some spare clothes that he had that didn’t quite fit him anymore. “We’ll go into town in a few days and get you some new ones”, he’d said, “go and change into some of these, for now, and I’ll wash the ones you’ve been travelling in.”

Now, Ciri was heading out of her room and towards the living area at the entrance of the house. The sky was already dark by now, and, after she’d eaten a warm meal and the exhaustion from her months of travelling was beginning to settle deeper into her bones now that she was safe, she wanted to do nothing more than sleep.

She rounded a corner of the hallway, her worn clothes under an arm, and reached the living area, where Geralt and Jaskier were sitting next to each other on armchairs in front of the hearth, speaking quietly. Geralt, who was facing towards Ciri, smiled gently when he saw her, raising his head.

Jaskier looked up then, too, turning towards her and standing up. “Come on, I’ll get those,” he said, taking her clothes and going back the way she’d come, stroking her hair with one hand as he passed.

She let out a soft breath, noticing that Geralt was still regarding her mildly.

“Have you turned yet?” he asked.

Ciri frowned for a moment, before realizing he was referring to her supposed dragon form, and shook her head.

“Hmm, I thought so. Come,” he said, standing up and walking towards her, “there’s our cave nearby that we use, as dragons. I know you’re exhausted right now, but sleeping in your dragon form is much more restful.”

“I… don’t think I know how to turn into a dragon,” she said, not quite meeting his golden gaze.

“That’s alright,” Geralt said, “we’ll help you the first few times. It will get easier after that.”

Ciri nodded, and Jaskier came back into the room from the hallway behind her.

“Alright then,” he said, smiling down softly at her, “let’s go. It’s late already, and I’m sure you want to sleep.”

* * *

They made their way out of the house, walking through the forest for about two hundred meters before reaching the opening of a massive cave in the side of the mountain. Despite the darkness, Ciri could still see fairly well because of the clear sky and the almost full moon above her.

Jaskier, who had previously held a hand on her shoulder to guide her along, let go of her as they stopped, taking a few steps back. Both he and Geralt tuned towards her, and before she knew what was happening, her ears had started ringing loudly, though not necessarily uncomfortably. She felt her body shift and morph, and when she looked back, she saw that her body was no longer as small as it had been before, and that she was covered in light, sparkling ivory scales. Her vision was different, too, she could see almost as well as in daylight now.

Ciri turned her head around, then, tentatively taking a step forwards. Moving felt… _weird_ , really, though not impossible, and it felt like something she would get the hang of. She looked up, seeing two much, much larger dragons observing her, their heads bent down slightly.

Cirilla was about the size of six, maybe seven horses, but still, Geralt, who was only slightly larger than Jaskier, was about four times her size. He had white, glistening scales, a few shades lighter than her own, and his eyes were still golden, whereas Jaskier’s scales were bright and coppery and his eyes were light blue.

They both lowered their heads closer towards her, sniffling her gently, and she sniffled back, instinctually.

_“You’re alright?”_ came Jaskier’s voice from… insider her head?

She let out a squeak, startled, then lowered her head, embarrassed by the sound she’d just made.

_“It’s ok,”_ Geralt spoke the same way Jaskier had, nudging her softly with his snout, _“this is how dragons communicate.”_

_“I… uh… yes?”_ she said back, and a moment later Jaskier bent his head towards her and gently licked along the scales on her back, grooming her.

_“Come now,”_ he said, _“you need to rest.”_

Ciri entered the cave after Jaskier, Geralt following close behind them. The cave was massive, really, probably the biggest one she’d ever seen. On one side, there were hot springs large enough that both Geralt and Jaskier could probably get in there at the same time in their dragon forms, with plenty of room to spare. There were smooth slabs of stone all around, and in a corner there were large rocks that lined a nest. It was covered in furs and animal skins and it was slightly hollowed into the ground, and it was big enough that all three of them could fit in it more than comfortably.

Jaskier went towards the nest, climbing inside, and Ciri yelped loudly as she felt blunt teeth taking a hold of the back of her neck a moment later.

_“Hush, little one,”_ Geralt said as he picked her up by the nape of her neck, gently lifting her from the ground, _“it’s alright.”_

Geralt climbed into the nest as well, before setting her down inbetween him and Jaskier and nuzzling her side with his snout, grooming her soothingly for a bit as Jaskier had done, earlier. 

Ciri let out a soft yawn, blinking blearily as exhaustion started to settle into her body more than ever. Despite the fact that the forest was cold at night, the cave was warm and comfortable, especially from where she was sitting nestled up between her parents. Soon, Jaskier draped a wing over her smaller form, and Geralt let out a sigh, laying down his head next to her body. Cirilla found herself unable to keep her eyes open any longer, and as she fell asleep the only thing she could think of was that she was finally safe, where she belonged.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Reviews are much appreciated! <3
> 
> Should I write more for this AU?
> 
> Also, my tumblr is rrusi-writes, if you'd like to request something or just to chat.


End file.
